Motuweta isolata
The Mercury Islands tusked wētā needs more recognition and publicity, because it is incredibly endangered.
The Mercury Islands tusked wētā were discovered in 1970 by herpetologist Tony Whitaker, who nicknamed the species ‘jaws’. This species of tusked wētā is the largest of three known tusked wētā species in Aotearoa, other species include the Northland tusked wētā and the Raukumara tusked wētā. The Mercury Islands tusked wētā is roughly 90mm long, and the female’s generally weigh between 25g – 37g while the males weigh between 23g – 27g. This species is also ground dwelling, so they protect themselves by hiding in shallow burrows on the bush floor during the day. To avoid being eaten by tuatara and other lizards, they may remain in their burrows until dark, almost moonless nights.
Tusked wētā are named for the males’ large tusks that curve from their mandibles. These are designed for battle when they compete with other males for territory and are used to overturn opponents. However, this battle strategy doesn’t provide them with the ability to defeat large predators.
During the 1990s these spectacular insects were getting harder to find, possibly due to a long drought. A captive breeding was set up and these insects have been successfully introduced to other islands in the Mercury group that are free of introduced mammals.
However, there are still concerns around the lack of genetic diversity within the current small population.
Check these links for more info on the Mercury Island Tusked Wētā in NZ
Wikipedia: Information on Motuweta isolata
images
Click on the image to visit the official observation.
